1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to collapsible structures, and in particular, to collapsible structures having panels whose position with respect to adjacent panels can be adjusted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Collapsible objects have recently become popular with both adults and children. Examples of such collapsible objects are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,794 (Zheng) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,385 (Zheng) in the form of collapsible structures. These structures have a plurality of panels which may be twisted and folded to reduce the overall size of the structures to facilitate convenient storage and use. As such, these structures are being enjoyed by many people in many different applications.
For example, these structures have been provided in many different shapes and sizes for children""s play inside and outside the house. Smaller versions of these structures have been used as infant nurseries. Even smaller versions of these structures have been used as dollhouses and action figure play houses by toddlers and children.
As another example, these structures have been made into tents or outdoor structures that can be used by adults and children for camping or other outdoor purposes. These structures have also been popular as beach cabanas.
Even animals can enjoy these structures. Some of these structures have been made into shelters that can be used by pets, both inside and outside the house.
The wide-ranging uses for these collapsible structures can be attributed to the performance, convenience and variety that these structures provide. When fully expanded, these structures are stable and can be used as a true shelter without the fear of collapse. These structures are easily twisted and folded into a compact configuration to allow the user to conveniently store the structure. The light-weight nature of the materials used to make these structures makes it convenient for them to be moved from one location to another. These structures also provide much variety in use and enjoyment. For example, a child can use a structure both indoors and outdoors for different play purposes, and can use the same structure for camping.
Another example of a collapsible structure include collapsible sunshields, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,784 (Zheng). These sunshields have two interconnecting panels that span the width of the windscreen.
All of the above-mentioned collapsible structures have two or more panels, each of which is hingedly or otherwise coupled to one or more adjacent panels. While these collapsible structures enjoy the numerous benefits described above, their size and configuration are generally fixed and cannot be adjusted. For example, the collapsible structure shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,385 has a top fabric that is attached to the four panels, and which cannot be removed without cutting or otherwise destroying the top fabric. As another example, the sunshield shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,784 has a predetermined width, with the interconnecting fabric providing a small amount of slack to adjust the width of the sunshield. However, the width cannot be made longer or shorter to adapt the sunshield to be fitted against windscreens of varying sizes.
Thus, there still remains a need to provide collapsible objects and structures having multiple panels, where the positions of these panels can be adjusted with respect to each other, to increase the variety of play and the useful applications of these objects and structures.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible structure or object having at least two panels whose positions with respect to each other can be adjusted.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible sunshield or divider, having at least two panels, whose overall width or length can be adjusted.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a collapsible structure having at least two panels, where the position of one of the panels can be adjusted with respect to the other panels to provide increased variety in use.
In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention, in one embodiment, the collapsible structures according to the present invention have at least first and second panels, each panel having a foldable frame member that has a folded and an unfolded orientation, and a material covering portions of the frame member when the frame member is in the unfolded orientation, with the material assuming the unfolded orientation of its associated frame member. The first panel has a first retaining mechanism that defines an adjustment space, and the second panel has a second retaining mechanism that is movably received inside the adjustment space of the first retaining mechanism to couple the second panel to the first panel. The second retaining mechanism is movable within the adjustment space to allow the relative positions of the first and second panels to be adjusted.
In another embodiment according to the present invention, the collapsible structures according to the present invention have at least first and second panels, each panel having a foldable frame member that has a folded and an unfolded orientation, and a material covering portions of the frame member when the frame member is in the unfolded orientation, with the material assuming the unfolded orientation of its associated frame member. A connector is provided that couples the first and second panels in a manner that allows the relative positions of the first and second panels to be adjusted.
The collapsible structures according to the present invention are convenient for use since they can be easily and quickly folded and collapsed into a smaller size for transportation and storage. More importantly, the panels allow relative positions of the panels to be adjusted to change the size and configuration of the object or structure. This increases the number of applications in which the collapsible objects and structures can be used, and adds to the fun and variety of these objects and structures.